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Public commenters urge commission to oppose military deployments, call for tipster legislation awareness and mark victims' anniversaries
Summary
Speakers during public comment asked the commission to adopt a formal statement opposing uninvited militarized forces on city streets, noted increases in mass shootings, and urged public awareness of recently signed tipster legislation and an unsolved homicide.
During the public-comment period of the Police Commission meeting, multiple members of the public addressed crime trends, asked the commission to oppose the deployment of uninvited militarized forces such as the National Guard, and called for broader awareness of a recently signed ordinance concerning reward payments to tipsters.
Chris Ward Klein (who identified himself as "Sergeant Klein" of the United States Marine Corps) said he had researched mass shootings and told the commission that San Francisco had recorded three mass-shooting incidents so far this year, the most since 2018. He encouraged the commission to monitor trends and noted broader concerns about public-safety communications.
Paul Holland asked the commission to immediately place a motion on the agenda opposing the introduction of "uninvited military forces," such as the National Guard, into San Francisco streets. Holland told commissioners that the commission is charged with enhancing public safety and that preemptive opposition would be appropriate; he asked the commission to consider his draft statement and requested docketing and public comment.
A woman who identified herself as the mother of Aubrey Abacasa spoke about her son's unsolved 2006 homicide and said she was attending to increase awareness of "ways to pay tipsters" and to bring copies of the ordinance signed by the mayor on June 6, 2025. She urged the commission and the public to publicize the ordinance ahead of an event she planned for Sept. 25 at the City Hall steps so that more people would know about the law and how it might help elicit tips in unsolved cases. The commission clerk read the anonymous tip line phone number for homicide tips at the close of the public-comment period.
Other public commenters included speakers who offered general remarks about safety and community concerns; one speaker offered remarks that were brief and personal in nature. The commission did not take formal action on the requests during the meeting but acknowledged receipt of the comments and, in the case of Holland's request, did not docket a motion on the spot.
